Softimage to Maya: Supported Scene Elements and Attributes

 
 
 

| Geometry | Lights | Cameras | Hierarchies | Deformations | Animation | Constraints | Physics | Shading | User Data | File Referencing | Update Mechanism

The following tables list the features supported when exporting from Softimage and importing into a Crosswalk-enabled installation of Maya using the dotXSI 6 (*.xsi) format.

Geometry

Element

Softimage Export vs. Maya Import

Comments

Mesh

Yes

 

Triangles

Yes

 

Polygons

Yes

 

Nulls

Yes

Converted to locators.

UVs

Yes

 

Vertex Color

Yes

 

Normals

Yes

 

Splines

No

 

NURBS

No

 

Lights

Element

Softimage Export vs. Maya Import

Comments

Omni

Yes

 

Directional

Yes

 

Spot

Yes

 

Light Common Shading

Yes

 

Cameras

Element

Softimage Export vs. Maya Import

Comments

Perspective Lookat

Yes

 

Perspective Rotation

Yes

 

Orthogonal

Yes

 

Extra Camera Data

Yes

Lens data, aspect ration, etc.

For a complete description of Maya and Softimage camera interoperability, see Maya to Softimage: Camera Interoperability (this includes the export of camera data from Softimage into Maya).

Hierarchies

Element

Softimage Export vs. Maya Import

Comments

SRT Node Transforms

Yes

 

Advanced SRT Node Transforms

Yes

Support for pivot, neutral pose, etc.

Instances (model)

No

 

Instances (primitive)

No

 

Deformations

Element

Softimage Export vs. Maya Import

Comments

Skinning (Envelopes)

Yes

 

Shapes

Yes

Support for blend shapes only, including weight animation.

Note that the Maya import implementation only supports shape manager style weight animations. In other words, when importing into Maya, Crosswalk looks in the corresponding Mixer for the first instantiated animation clip using the shape key X and applies the weight curve of that clip to the blend shape X in Maya. If you create shape animation in Softimage with a complex Mixer setup where more them one clip with the same shape key as its source are sequenced, mixed, or blended, regardless of this, only the first animation clip's weight curve will be imported on the blend shape weight parameter in Maya.

Bones

Yes

 

Animation

Element

Softimage Export vs. Maya Import

Comments

Fcurves (constant)

Yes

 

Fcurves (linear)

Yes

 

Fcurves (spline)

Yes

 

Fcurves (hermite)

Yes

 

Constraints

Element

Softimage Export vs. Maya Import

Comments

Constraints

No

Plotted on export using the Animation Resampling options.

IK

No

On export to Maya, the Preserve IK Chains option must be turned off. When this option is off, IK animation is plotted to FK.

Physics

Element

Softimage Export vs. Maya Import

Comments

Rigid Body Dynamics

No

 

Shading

Element

Softimage Export vs. Maya Import

Comments

Common Shading

Yes

 

DirectX

No

 

Cg Profile Effects

No

 

User Data

Element

Softimage Export vs. Maya Import

Comments

Custom Psets

Yes

Imported as Maya extra attributes.

User Data Blob

No

 

File Referencing

Element

Softimage Export vs. Maya Import

Comments

Model Files

No

All references are imported directly into the scene. That is, they are no longer references, but are now objects in the scene.

Images

Yes

 

Shaders

No

 

Update Mechanism

Element

Softimage Export vs. Maya Import

Comments

Update

Yes

Match and update scene elements in current scene on import into 3ds Max. See Updating Scene Elements.

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